Course No. 3150 (36 lectures, 30 minutes/lecture)
Taught by Robert L. Dise Jr.
University of Northern Iowa
Ph.D., University of Michigan The Teaching Company, LLC. 2009 Ponder the term "the ancient world" for just a moment. What personalities, images, and events come to mind? For most of us, the legacy of the ancient world is symbolized by the twin pillars of Western civilization: the empires of Greece and Rome. But what about the empires that came before them? Although realms such as Akkad, Assyria, Babylon, Hatti, and Ur dwell on the fringes of recorded history, they nevertheless represent human civilization's first experiments in empire building. Their intriguing reigns * gave birth to the political, judicial, religious, and military systems that would influence the administration of subsequent empires;
* steered earlier societies on a course that would eventually lead to our modern world's intricate system of nations, states, and countries; and
* played key roles in episodes in ancient history, such as the Babylonian captivity, the Trojan and Peloponnesian wars, and the eventual rise of the Greek and Roman empires. The fascinating stories behind these empires are required knowledge for you to develop a full understanding of the ancient world in its entirety. Ancient Empires before Alexander is your opportunity to finally complete your knowledge of the ancient world with a comprehensive look at history's first empires. Professor Robert L. Dise Jr. of the University of Northern Iowa—an expert on the history of the ancient world—examines these fascinating kingdoms as their own unique subjects, ones that reflect the struggles, successes, and failures of establishing an empire. Over the course of 36 insightful lectures, follow the Egyptians, the Mycenaean Greeks, the Persians, the Carthaginians, and others as they rise to glory, create administrative and military structures, clash with one another, and eventually collapse

 

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